Every offseason, there are a few players who get sucked into the waiver wire cyclone and switch organizations multiple times before even getting the chance to put on one of their uniforms in spring training.
This year, one of those players is Adam Walker.
The slugging outfielder, whom the Orioles designated for assignment Friday when they signed outfielder/designated hitter Mark Trumbo to a three-year contract, was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.
The Braves are Walker's fourth organization this offseason. From the time he was a second-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2013, Walker has hit homers at every level for them. In four full minor league seasons, he had 110 combined, but his strikeout totals are also high.
Minnesota designated him for assignment in November, and the Milwaukee Brewers claimed him for a stint that lasted just two weeks before he was designated for assignment again. The Orioles claimed him on Dec. 2, but their offseason business brought the roster to its 40-man limit when Trumbo agreed, and Walker was the odd man out.
The matter reached a quicker resolution than previously because under the new collective bargaining agreement, teams now have only seven days with a player who was designated for assignment to trade him, expose him to waivers, or outright him to the minors. Previously, the player could be in limbo for as long as 10 days.
Trumbo will be introduced at a press conference Friday, and has taken Walker's spot in a pair of autograph sessions during Saturday's FanFest event at the Baltimore Convention Center.